View report page

59
with fat other than milk fat must be labelled to the effect that it "Contains non-milk
fat". Since standards are no longer made under the Emergency Regulations in order to
allow for the modification in labelling of ice cream the wording of the principal
Order has been changed slightly. The Ice Cream (Heat Treatment, etc.) Regulations
1959, now permit a sterilisation process other than pasteurisation to be employed and,
provided that the whole process is kept sterile, the conditions affecting cooling have
been relaxed. The Methylene Blue Test is maintained for the bacteriological control
of the quality of ice cream.
Fluorine in Food
The original Fluorine in Food Order, 1947, was brought into operation on account
of the difficulty of obtaining suitable qualities of phosphates for baking powders.
Now that conditions are normal the Minister has decided to allow a maximum quantity of
3 parts per million of fluorine in self-raising and similar flours, 15 parts per
million in phosphate-containing baking powders, and 30 parts per million of the acidic
phosphate content of any other food. This amendment will require more care in
analytical control, but it is to be welcomed.
Preservatives in Food
Without doubt the most important report or statutory instrument issued by the
Ministry during the year was that on Preservatives in Food. The report itself is
controversial and it is better merely to summarise the conclusions. Sulphur dioxide
will remain the chief preservative permitted and it is suggested that this may be used
in wines, beer, cider and perry, soft drinks, fruit juices, vinegar, dried fruit,
fruit and fruit pulp, crystallised, glace, candied and syruped fruit, raw peeled
potatoes or dehydrated potatoes, other dehydrated vegetables, sausages and butchers
minced meat, prepared starches and sugar syrups derived therefrom as well as other
sugar, jams, gelatine and pectin, pickles and sauces and dry root ginger. Benzoic
acid could be used as an alternative or with sulphur dioxide in soft drinks and fruit
juice products. Either benzoic acid or a para-hydroxybenzoic acid ester could be
used in unfermented grape juice used for sacramental purposes, liquid rennet, liquid
coffee extract, flavouring syrups, and drinking chocolate concentrates. It is further
suggested that propionic acid, sorbic acid, nisin, diphenyl, or ortho-phenylphenol
should be used in very special circumstances.
Report of Soft Drinks
The Food Standards Committee issued a Report on Soft Drinks, early in the year,
but it has not yet been implemented by a Regulation. The Committee recommend that
soft drinks should be sweetened entirely by sugar and that artificial sweeteners, such
as saccharin should be prohibited. They also recommend that manufacturers should be
obliged to state the quantity of fruit juice present in drinks reputed to contain it,
and finally they recommend that no soft drink contains sufficient carbohydrate to
justify any claims relating to energy value. Other minor suggestions are put forward,
but the three mentioned above are those which are likely to be discussed before its
implementation.
Milk Bread
In October the Food Standards Committee issued a report on the composition of
milk bread in which they stated that the Committee were divided on what should be
contained in milk bread and by what description a loaf containing separated milk solids
should be known. The majority view of the Committee was that bread containing not
less than 4.2 per cent of milk solids not fat should be sold as milk bread. The
Committee generally were of the opinion that the presence of milk fat does not greatly
affect the nutritive value of bread, so that the consumer is not prejudiced by the use
of separated milk powder.
THOMAS McLACHLAN.